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Thread: Less weak than last week

  1. #51
    Join Date
    Jul 2016
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    Knoxville, TN
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    310

    Default NLP Week 19

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    TL;DR - Plain old progress. :-)

    16 April 2021
    Weight - 206
    Squat - 285
    Bench - 160
    Power Clean - 125

    Still working up with better form on the squat. I'm glad I lowered the weight as it's giving me the headspace to fix the balance point. I also think the 320 was a bit artificial as, previously, my hips were closing off prematurely and leaving me a bit high at the bottom. I'll probably go up 10 again on Wednesday, but doubt I'll be able to do 10s all the way up to 315.

    Bench went well. It's really the most boring lift to update. I re-tried the dedicated bench and made some peace with the width. It has normal hooks that actually allow unracking, so I really should be more amenable to it than I have been. I'll go back to 2.5 lb jumps now that I'm back at the old 'PR'.

    Redid 125 on power clean for form, and glad I did. It's still hard at this weight and I have consistency issues to overcome as I unlearn bad habits. I oddly dropped the second rep on almost every set, but got it on the redo along with the third. A couple goofy catches too, but for the most part I felt I had much, much better cleans. I may try 130 on Wednesday to see how it goes.

  2. #52
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    Default NLP Week 20

    TL;DR - Linear progression is linear.

    19 April 2021
    Weight - 206
    Squat - 235 (light day)
    Press - 107.5
    Deadlift - 345

    Got the press, but that last rep was a real grinder. Form felt more consistent, which helped. I'm pondering switching the bench press and overhead press (i.e., heavy squat/OP/power clean, then light squat/bench/deadlift). My main logic is that the deadlift day is much faster, so I could sneak in some extra press volume after the deadlifts - perhaps some lighter weight volume pressing or something. That's not NLP canon, but extra volume is often the prescription for a stalling press and that seems an easy way to get there while still getting in normal bench work. I really hate the idea of continually stalling on presses in the very low 100s. (I'm also adding in some shoulder flexibility work to see if it helps.)

    Deadlift went great. It felt like I rounded my back a bit on the second rep, but I focused on setting and squeezing better and didn't get that sensation afterward. It was still grindy, but it's been a long time since I've done a full set at a new high weight so that's not surprising. It also means I have a comfortable gap between the squats and deads (due in part to form-fixing the squats).

  3. #53
    Join Date
    Jul 2016
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    Default NLP Week 20

    TL;DR - Power Cleans getting better. :-)

    21 April 2021
    Weight - 207
    Squat - 295
    Bench - 162.5
    Clean - 130

    Squat went well. Fixing form is making it much easier to hit depth now. I think another 10 lb jump is reasonable, but I'm probably very close to going back to 5 lb jumps.

    Bench went well also. I felt I had a good rhythm; not too slow but not too fast.

    Clean was an odd duck today. I decided to go ahead and add 5 lb from last time and see how it went. The first couple sets were a bit inconsistent; I had a couple stiff-legged catches and one caught in the hands. But starting on the third set, things really starting coming together better. I was jumping more consistently and catching much better. My final rep of the day may very well have been my best one, which always feels good. I might repeat the weight once more to solidify things, but I'm getting excited about the cleans now.

  4. #54
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    Default NLP Week 20

    TL;DR - probably going to drop the whole TL;DR thing until there's a reason for it.

    24 April 2021
    Weight - 206
    Squat - 235 (light day)
    Press - 110
    Deadlift - 355

    Nothing of interest on light day squats.

    I honestly expected to fail on the press. The first set was tough. On the second set, I was using a bit less 'bounce' to start the press and it seemed to make it easier, so perhaps I had too much bounce. Did the same on the third set and got it. The final rep was the usual struggle, so 2.5-lb jumps are still in order.

    I love the deadlift. It was tough, of course, but I'm feeling pretty good about 10 lb jumps at least for a little while. I also realized that, on my first day, my combined 'powerlift' total (squat/bench/dead) was 335 (105/75/155, respectively). The squat may very well pass that total in May if all goes well. My totals are nothing to brag about but it's still great to see how much progress I've made in about 5 months.

    Trying to eat more. I think I need to end up weighing at least 225 lb. Now that things are moving up, I don't have to worry so much about the food going straight to my belly.

  5. #55
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    Default NLP Week 21

    26 April 2021
    Weight - 206
    Squat - 305
    Bench - 165
    Clean - 130

    Squats are still going much better than before but I'm now really close to having to do 5 lb jumps. I may start on Friday depending on how the warmups feel, though it'd be obnoxious to load 310.

    Bench also went well. The third set was probably the best in terms of bar path, tempo, and overall form.

    I think I can power clean! Repeating 130 lb was a very good decision. In hindsight I'm sure I could have done 135, but it was just easier to focus on technique when doing a weight I'd done before. I really started feeling comfortable with it and feeling both my body and the bar throughout the clean in a way I hadn't before. As the sets went on, it actually felt lighter and easier. They also seem to be 'slowing down' in the sense that I can think about what I'm doing during the explosion and catch. I did have one drop when I didn't get under the bar fast enough, but other than that it really went well. Things to clean up: still a bit inconsistent on the launch point (I hit my hip a couple times); need to make my eye gaze more consistent; need to give my feet 'something to do' for better form and control; need to work on acceleration (though that's starting to happen already). In the meantime, I have a date with 135 on Friday. :-)

    ETA: Something I forgot to add. The gym has a dedicated bench press room, with a couple flat benches, a couple inclines, and a decline (maybe two, I never bother looking). I was benching in there when another guy walks up to a decline bench and starts going through his own warmup. No spotter, no safety rails, and suicide grip. On a decline bench.

    Fortunately, he stopped somewhere around 115 lb. I don't know what he was trying to accomplish as he can certainly bench more than me, but I didn't care. It saved me the hassle of figuring out how to get his head elevated so he could breathe, but without risking moving an injured spine. That's now the official scariest thing I've seen in a gym. (I know there's a thread for this stuff, but wanted it in my log for my future self to remember.)
    Last edited by David Hooper; 04-27-2021 at 08:30 AM. Reason: Forgot to mention gym scariness.

  6. #56
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    Jul 2016
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    Default NLP Week 21

    Not a log entry, but just and end of month recap for myself. Thanks to a couple sick family members (one being myself) and a dog whose health has turned downward pretty quickly, it's becoming a week where life interferes. I'm hoping to get to the gym on Saturday but that'll be May.

    Lift Start Now April Gains Comment
    Squat 105 305 -5 Reset down to 275 while fixing form. Good decision overall.
    Overhead press 46 110 2.5 Also a small reset from form fix.
    Bench 75 165 10 Small reset, but faster recovery.
    Deadift 155 355 20 Also a reset and using straps now, but definitely gaining.
    Power Clean 65 130 15 Form fix with immediate increase in weight.

    I had to back nearly everything down at least a little bit when I got my form fixed at the beginning of the month. The numbers didn't go up much (and the squat went down a tick), but they're moving much better now and I'm in a better position than I was at the end of March. Thanks to being sick, I lost two workouts at the end that would have made everything a little better. May will likely start slowly but I hope to have a good overall month ahead of me. With luck I'll be knocking on the door of a 4-plate deadlift by June, though I kind of expect to go to 5 lb jumps sometime soon.

  7. #57
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    Default NLP Week 22

    03 May 2021
    Weight - 202
    Squat - 235/275 (light day)
    Press - 110 (5,5,4,3)
    Deadlift - 355

    Caught a cold last week so missed two sessions. I knew I was eating a less but was surprised to drop 4 pounds. Hopefully it'll come right back as I get back into rhythm.

    Squat was a light day. I did two sets at 235, and then decided to do one at 275 just to feel it in preparation for Wednesday. I'll probably redo my last weight on heavy day.

    I repeated the overhead press weight, which I had last done two Fridays ago so I wasn't too surprised I failed. I almost had that last rep on the third set but couldn't finish it before running out of steam, so I rested once more and AMRAP'd for three reps just to get the requisite volume. I'll repeat on Friday.

    I also repeated the deadlift weight. I wasn't sure if I'd be up for it but the warmups felt really good so I went for 355 rather than backing down a touch. On the last rep, though, I may have tweaked my lower back. It felt funny as I was crossing over my knees, though I finished it out. It's sore enough that I'm taking ibuprofen and going to keep some heat on it for the rest of the day.

  8. #58
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    Jul 2016
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    Default NLP Week 22

    06 May 2021
    Weight - 204
    Squat - 245*
    Bench - 165
    Clean - 135*

    I definitely tweaked my back right around the tailbone on Monday and it's been sore since. I also had DOMS in the hamstrings, so I definitely overestimated myself coming off of my cold last week. I waited an extra day but didn't want to be out too long. I lightened the squats to make them more therapeutic than work (hence the asterisk). 245 felt about right for it, so I did three sets and called it good. It didn't seem to hurt the back.

    I repeated the bench press weight since I missed last Friday's session. It went as expected - solid but still tough grinding at the end.

    I also went easy on the power cleans because I didn't know how the tailbone would do. I did 65 lbs for 3, add 10, etc., to see if things would go sideways. It worked well all the way up to 135, which is my heaviest ever, but I could feel that I wasn't exploding well. It felt really muddy and I was really dropping down to catch the bar, so I did a couple sets and stopped. Definitely not progress, but I also didn't harm myself either. I can also joke about 'cleaning my plate', which will go over really well with my better half who has to deal with my love of puns.

  9. #59
    Join Date
    Jul 2016
    Location
    Knoxville, TN
    Posts
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    Default NLP Week 22

    08 May 2021
    Weight - 205
    Squat - 285
    Press - 110 (4,4,4,2,1)
    Clean - 135 (2 sets)

    My back is still tweaked, so I decided to do cleans again instead of deadlifts. (I may have herniated a disc on Monday; I'm not sure but it is getting better.) Without deadlifts, it felt prudent to up the squat weight a bit and see how things went. Squats were alright. I had to descend a bit more slowly than normal to make sure the back was fine, which meant there wasn't really a bounce at the bottom. Still, three sets of five went smoothly and the back held solid.

    Press seems to be in retrograde. Maybe the back has something to do with it? I have no idea. Whatever the case, getting stuck at 110 lb on the press is ridiculous.

    Cleans felt good up to 135 lbs. I just wasn't exploding enough, though. I got a couple sets in before things just got too slow. I could tell I wasn't explosive enough because I started crashing my pelvic bone again and couldn't avoid doing it. Since I was doing cleans more for back therapy than progress, I called it at that point. (The back does feel better now, though.)

    I really feel like I'm now in maintenance mode until my back is, well, back. I'm my own worst enemy.

  10. #60
    Join Date
    Jul 2016
    Location
    Knoxville, TN
    Posts
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    Default NLP Week 23

    starting strength coach development program
    10 May 2021
    Weight - 206
    Squat - 235 (light)
    Bench - 167.5
    Deadlift - 275*

    I did light squats because I was planning on deadlifting. I probably should have done about 255 or so, but that's fine.

    Bench is progressing nicely at the moment. I've been more consistent in my rhythm and 'hitting the groove' the last few times.

    I did deadlifts until the lower back injury started speaking to me. It was great up to 275, and then I could feel the sore spot so I quit there. That gives me a marker, though, and I should be able to add a fair amount on Friday. Maybe 315 if it all feels well.

    Lastly, I did some cleans for fun. They really make my back feel better. I got to 135 but I still had that mushiness in the back so I didn't press the issue. I'll do cleans for realsies on Wednesday, I think. I'll probably repeat 130 since I haven't been progressing on it.

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